To begin, could you describe your current role and your main responsibilities?
I am a liquidity manager for a global bank, responsible for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, based in Singapore. My main responsibilities include ensuring that all locations in the region comply with their external regulatory liquidity metrics and assessing the liquidity risk of all balance sheet items. This is of crucial importance for the bank because, on the one hand it ensures that each location in the region can survive a stress scenario by holding an appropriate liquidity buffer, and on the other hand, it significantly influences the internal pricing of the bank’s products, thereby having a substantial impact on the PnL (profit and loss) of each business division.
What motivated you to take on an international assignment, and why Singapore?
After completing my Master’s degree, I had been in my previous role for three and a half years, and I thought that was the perfect time to change my role and pursue an international assignment. Singapore has always fascinated me because of its culture, but also the way it organizes itself as a country. Since my employer has a significant presence in the APAC region, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity.
Looking back at your experience in Singapore so far, what moments or experiences have had the biggest impact on you personally and professionally?
On the work side, I would say the pace is higher and the necessary interaction between the various treasury departments is crucial, given the treasury team is much smaller in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region as compared to the global treasury team. Thus, a core understanding of the other treasury areas is crucial, because for every decision I make in the liquidity management area, I need to understand which impact it has on the other treasury areas.
On the lifestyle side, I must say I am really impressed with Singapore. It is a country that is super clean, safe, and efficient. Thinking about the fact that it only became independent 60 years ago and was a third-world country back then, seeing where it is today is really impressive and inspiring. Besides that, it is easy to meet friends because there is a lot of fluctuation of people who come and leave the country. Overall, I am really enjoying it so far!
In terms of day-to-day work, which differences in Singapore’s work culture compared to Germany have shaped your approach or way of thinking the most?
As mentioned before, I would say the pace is a bit different in Singapore compared to Germany. Additionally, since I still have some interaction with the global team in Frankfurt and London, late evenings are sometimes part of the day-to-day work due to the time difference.
Which skills or experiences have proven particularly valuable for navigating the financial sector in Singapore?
I think that if you have a core understanding of the financial sector and banking, it is easy to work in any part of the world, since it is such an international industry. I would say it is important to always stay curious, keep learning, and embrace different perspectives on everything.
Looking ahead, how do you see this international assignment contributing to your long-term professional development?
On the one hand, the team in the Asia-Pacific region is much smaller, which gives you a higher exposure to senior stakeholders and the opportunity to learn about more topics, since my role now is broader than my previous one. On the other hand, it is not only about the role but also about learning about the work culture on a different continent. Outside the work environment, it also gives you a different perspective on how other countries organize themselves politically and socially.
Finally, reflecting on your journey, which parts of the Master in Finance program have been especially relevant for where you are today?
Overall, the Master in Finance program gave me a broader foundation across all major finance areas. If I had to choose one course that stood out, I would choose Prof. Dr. Marc Crummenerl's course Derivatives & Financial Engineering, as it taught me the basics of derivatives, which is crucial for my role today, given that I’m covering investment banking products from a liquidity risk perspective, among other products.